Explore by Career/Production
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Paint, coat, or decorate articles, such as furniture, glass, plateware, pottery, jewelry, toys, books, or leather.
- Median pay
- $40,860
- per year
- 10-year outlook
- +1.4%
- Stable
- Typical entry
- No formal educational credential
Key skills
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Time Management
What they do
- Apply coatings, such as paint, ink, or lacquer, to protect or decorate workpiece surfaces, using spray guns, pens, or brushes.
- Examine finished surfaces of workpieces to verify conformance to specifications and retouch any defective areas.
- Clean and maintain tools and equipment, using solvents, brushes, and rags.
- Read job orders and inspect workpieces to determine work procedures and materials required.
- Select and mix ingredients to prepare coating substances according to specifications, using paddles or mechanical mixers.
- Place coated workpieces in ovens or dryers for specified times to dry or harden finishes.
- Clean surfaces of workpieces in preparation for coating, using cleaning fluids, solvents, brushes, scrapers, steam, sandpaper, or cloth.
- Conceal blemishes in workpieces, such as nicks and dents, using fillers such as putty.
- Rinse, drain, or wipe coated workpieces to remove excess coating material or to facilitate setting of finish coats on workpieces.
Majors that lead here
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Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections) and O*NET, used under CC BY 4.0.